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Hiking to Gregory Bald from Twentymile Ranger Station, Spring 2008
Here are the pictures from my hike to Gregory Bald. I parked at the Twentymile ranger station and stayed out for just under 24 hours total. Since I was finished with work at 5:00pm, I got a late start and camped fairly close to the car. The first part of the trail was an old road, as has commonly been the case in my experience.
I took the twentymile trail from the ranger station, and then the long hungry ridge trail to camsite 92. It was an excellent site with close water and great bear-rope availability. The slow climb along the creekbed was at the right elevation to catch lots of triliums in bloom.
The long hungry ridge trail follows the river for a little while, then sets off up the hill towards Gregory Bald.
The third picture below is what used to be an open grassy area, according to my guide book. It is still an interesting and unusual place, but not open and grassy anymore.
At the end of the LHR trail, I took a left on the Gregory Bald trail. From that point on, it was mostly a slow climb along the ridge, and the carpet of little white flowers was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in the woods.
The landscape changes dramatically upon arrival at the bald.
I'm not sure what left those droppings in the last picture above, but they sure are black and furry. After a short rest to enjoy the view of Cade's cove, I continued west on the same trail towards the Wolf Ridge trail. Had Tabitha been with me, we would have camped at number 13. Since I was by myself and had to be back the next day, I pressed on and hiked all the way back to the car. It was a long trip! Somewhere close to 14 miles, which is far more than I would usually do in a day.
The picture above with my backpack was parson's bald, I think. That's what I get for writing web pages a year after the fact.
This trip was also unique in that it was the first time I'd ever seen a bear in the wild. I've seen bears in the woods before, but they are usually around campsites or parking areas. This one was actually out on the trail, away from the usual trash can areas. He was fairly small, and you'll have to look pretty hard to see him in the pictures below, with the third picture being the best prospect. In fact, my first thought when I saw him was to start looking for his mom. He was not on the trail, but he was ahead of me at a slightly higher elevation and about 50 yards away perhaps. I stomped my foot and he didn't look up from his foraging. I threw a stick down the trail, then a rock, and he didn't even look up. Then, in the voice that I would use to talk to someone standing next to me, I said "Hey bear." He looked right up at me in a startled way, turned around, and ran directly away from me. That was mighty nice of him. As I walked down the trail, he kept the same distance away until he disappeared over the ridge.
One of my favorite things that can happen in the woods is to come across very old signs of human activity. This is not to be confused with the rather annoying prospect of coming across fairly recent signs of human activity. Along the wolf ridge trail I found what must have been an old home site. This falls into the earlier category of fascinating old human stuff. The cast piece looks like it was part of a stove, and probably dates back to before the park was established.
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